Nearly 140 years ago, cocaine was the world's newest wonder drug on the market -- touted as a cure for everything from morphine addiction and depression to dyspepsia and TB. His biggest supporter was Dr. Freud, who was a struggling neurologist with a favorite experimental subject: himself. The University of Michigan Medical School, as part of a scholarly research to place a contemporary medical dilemma in context with past events, asked our linguistic team to deliver a fresh look at some of Sigmund Freud’s handwritten correspondence in old German, especially in reference to Dr. Fleischl-Marxow, a brilliant physiologist who injured his thumb while dissecting a cadaver, resulting in chronic pain controlled only by large doses of morphine. Apparently, Freud used cocaine as an antidote for his best friend’s morphine addiction. A fascinating translation work was delivered, thanks to our experienced team of German linguists spirited by Dr. Joe Bailey. 

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